We Don’t Need More Cops. We Need More Ownership.

Policing doesn’t build safety. Ownership does. Let’s talk about what crime prevention really looks like.

October is National Crime Prevention Month, and I can’t help but think about how we talk about crime, especially in Black communities. You’ve probably heard the usual lines: “We’re 13% of the population, but 50% of the crime rate.” The numbers are thrown around like they’re fact, but we rarely dig deeper into them.

Let’s pause here. Is it really that simple? Is this what we’re really up against? Is it really as simple as that? Or is there a much more complicated story that’s being missed? Because if we’re just looking at the surface, we’re missing a major part of the picture. And it’s a picture that doesn’t just involve crime, it involves economics. It involves ownership.

The Real Reason People Get Caught Up in Crime

What if I told you that most of the so-called “crimes” you hear about in the media are, in reality, desperate acts of survival? Let me explain. I used to audit court files for Cook County, and I saw a lot. A lot of petty crime. Petty crime isn’t typically about evil intent, it’s about survival.

A lot of the so-called “criminals” I encountered weren’t involved in organized crime or malicious acts. They were caught stealing food, getting into trouble for selling drugs to feed their families, or just trying to get by. The reality is that crime often begins with desperation, a desperate attempt to survive in an environment where opportunities are scarce.

But we don’t talk about this in the media. We’re quick to talk about who’s behind bars, but rarely ask why they ended up there. We need to start asking why someone felt like committing a crime was the only option left.

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